Is Withdrawing and Retaking a College Course a Good Idea?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the decision of whether to withdraw from a college course due to personal challenges affecting academic performance. Participants explore the implications of a late withdrawal on academic records and future graduate school applications, particularly in the context of mathematics.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes their situation of having performed well initially in a programming course but facing difficulties due to personal issues and illness, leading to a potential need for a late withdrawal.
  • Another participant mentions that the impact of a late withdrawal on GPA may vary by institution, citing their own experience where it counted as a failing mark.
  • A different participant notes that a late withdrawal may not affect GPA but could still appear on the transcript, prompting concerns about how it might be perceived by graduate schools.
  • Some participants suggest considering the importance of the course as a prerequisite for future classes, particularly in relation to choosing between pure and applied mathematics tracks.
  • There are suggestions to seek advice from the dean of students and to explore other options available for the situation.
  • One participant expresses uncertainty about whether a late withdrawal would be viewed negatively by graduate schools, particularly for a non-math course.
  • Another participant emphasizes the potential benefits of retaking the course for a better grade to mitigate the impact of a late withdrawal.
  • Several participants agree on the importance of understanding the specific policies of the school regarding late withdrawals and their implications for GPA and future coursework.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on the merits of pursuing a late withdrawal, with no consensus reached. Some believe it may be beneficial, while others highlight potential drawbacks or uncertainties regarding its impact on future academic opportunities.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of understanding institutional policies regarding late withdrawals and their effects on GPA, as well as the potential long-term implications for graduate school applications.

Who May Find This Useful

Students facing similar dilemmas regarding course withdrawals, particularly in STEM fields, and those seeking advice on academic policies and their implications for future studies.

JG89
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Should I Withdraw? Please Help!

Hey guys,

I'm taking an introductory computer programming course (I'm in first year) at a university. The first half of the term went very well, I was getting marks in the 90's. After that, I was going through some personal problems and I was also sick for a week with the flu, which caused my grade to suffer and I missed a lot of material.

At my school, it is too late to withdraw from the course without it showing up on my transcript, but there is a possibility for a late withdrawal (I will have to meet with a counselor and explain my position to get permission for this). On my transcript, it will say LWD, standing for late withdrawal.

If I don't get this late withdrawal, I might pass the class, but with a very bad mark. My question is, should I still get this late withdrawal? How will it look on my transcript in the future to grad. schools when I am going to a PhD in mathematics?

For sure if I get the withdrawal I will retake the course next semester and definitely aim to ace it.
 
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It depends how your school counts late withdrawals in terms of mark averages. I think at my old school a late withdrawal would get counted as a 32%. In which case I'd shoot for the 50%.
 


Oh yeah, on the website it says that there will be no effect on the GPA or anything.
 


Is this a required or prerequisite course? If so, you may need to go for it. I can't comment on how grad schools look at a withdrawal, but the odds are quite high that an employer will never look at your transcript except to verify your resume after you are offered a job.

You might also think about which class you will be sacrificing to make up this course in the future. Taking Calc I twice, for example, and finishing with Calc II is probably less impressive in almost all cases than getting a C in Calc I and As in Calc II and III.

Oh, and go ask your dean of students for advice if you haven't. Do that asap. They may even have other options that you don't know about.
 


It could be. I pick my subject-post next fall. If I pick the pure mathematics category, then this course will not be required for that degree. If I pick the applied mathematics category, then the course turns into a prerequisite. I am not sure which category I am going to pick yet, it is 50/50 between the pure and applied maths.

I will be sacrificing taking introductory to computer science (CSC148), which will cause me not to be able to take enriched theory of computation (CSC240). I was really interested in the 240 course, but that may have to wait for the second year now instead.

1) Still think I should go for the LWD?
2) Maybe I am just trying to convince myself here, but surely a math grad. school won't care about a late withdrawal for a first year non-math course
 


JG89 said:
It could be. I pick my subject-post next fall. If I pick the pure mathematics category, then this course will not be required for that degree. If I pick the applied mathematics category, then the course turns into a prerequisite. I am not sure which category I am going to pick yet, it is 50/50 between the pure and applied maths.

I will be sacrificing taking introductory to computer science (CSC148), which will cause me not to be able to take enriched theory of computation (CSC240). I was really interested in the 240 course, but that may have to wait for the second year now instead.

1) Still think I should go for the LWD?
2) Maybe I am just trying to convince myself here, but surely a math grad. school won't care about a late withdrawal for a first year non-math course

I don't know enough about your situation to say that you should or shouldn't - just trying to give some information. I would talk to the dean of students and also to whoever teaches the 240 course to see if you might be able to take it with a LWD in 148. Just be sure you won't be set back a year on your degree if you don't have credit for the course. Your advisor is also a good person to keep in the loop if you have one. You could ask a math professor for an opinion if you don't have an advisor yet.

This is all assuming, of course, that you're actually going to improve your marks in future courses :wink:.
 
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You can probably withdraw and then retake it later if you need it. I don't think that the LWD will disappear from your transcript, but your new grade should overwrite the effect (if any) on your GPA. That is, the new mark would replace whatever contribution the LWD made toward your GPA.

Check what your school's policy is though. IMO, it would be better to have a LWD AND an 'A' replacing it then either just the LWD or a crappy grade. That way grad schools will at least see that you cared enough to re-take the course.

But like I an others have said, you need to see what your school's policy is. Talk to an adviser ASAP.

:smile:
 

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